North Down, Northern Ireland

The Internet gives ED Futures global reach. I received a delightful and interesting call from Nick Rogers, the Economic Development Manager for North Down Borough in Northern Ireland, last week.

North Down, is a stable area seaside community in Northern Ireland. It sits on the southern shores of Belfast Lough, offering an attractive coast and countryside with many natural assets.

The Borough covers an area of over 88 square KM, stretching from Holywood to Bangor and encompassing Cultra, Helens Bay, Crawfordsburn and Groomsport. With an established industrial and retail base, and excellent transportation links, the area has a population base of 76,000 and a workforce of nearly 47,000 people. With Holywood just 3 miles from Central Belfast, and Bangor merely 13 miles from Belfast, North Down offers a strategic business location.

Traditionally regarded as a seaside location, North Down has worked to diversify its local economy and now boasts over 2,500 businesses. The range of businesses located within the Borough includes international manufacturing and plastic companies, IT, and multimedia businesses. The manufacturing sector of the local economy is dominated by smaller companies, principally involving high technology light engineering, plastics injection molding, food processing, paper products, furniture, clothing and craftware.

More here.